The Power the Dark Lord Knew Not
by SiofraPrince
Summary: The typical "Harry Potter gets sorted into Slytherin" plot, except it's not. For starters, Harry is a girl, and she never gets accepted by Slytherin. Or the rest of the school for that matter. This is what happens when you don't fit in.
1. The Power He Knew Not

**Hey everyone, it's me! The next chapter in _For There to be Light_ is slow going, and this has been sitting around on my laptop for a while, so I decided to post it, and hopefully get some feedback on it.**

 **The poem is mine.**

 **I own a few characters, but J.K owns the rest (dammit).**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

 ** _They amuse themselves with others pain_**

 ** _They seek to destroy_**

 ** _They enjoy the power_**

 ** _They enjoy the hurt and suffering that they can cause._**

 ** _._**

They had always ruled the House where they were placed. It was decreed through their father's jobs, their money, influence and blood. Anyone who didn't conform to the system was ostracized, and became a social pariah.

They were all pariahs within the school anyway, but at least they had their Housemates; their fellow snakes. When you didn't have your housemates…

You

Were

Dead.

Their current Head of House didn't really approve of this situation, but it had become a tradition in the final years before he came to teach at the school. It was tradition. They wouldn't break it now.

They couldn't.

.

.

 ** _She's new to this game_**

 ** _Blissfully unaware_**

 ** _The stares, the whispers_**

 ** _She doesn't know what she did wrong_**

 ** _._**

She'd been introduced to this world by a giant, bought a pet owl, a wand and a cauldron. She didn't know anything about her heritage, her parents (except for "you look like your mother"), blood purity, or how the school worked. It was merely an opportunity to do something with her life; to get away from her overbearing relatives and her stupid fat cousin.

.

The whispers at school are getting to her, slowly but surely. The Girl-Who-Lived? Against what? No one in her new House will tell her, and none of the other students will even come near her, because of the colours on her uniform. There are some pitying glances, but no one, not even the teachers will tell her what happened.

And the _staring_.

At her hair, her eyes, her _bloody scar._

It's rude, but then again, most people are rude in this new world.

They hold nothing on her uncle though.

.

.

 ** _They sit in little groups_**

 ** _Deliberately excluding her_**

 ** _No one offers her a place_**

 ** _No one wants to come to their attention_**

 ** _._**

The first time her dorm mates, or even her year mates, refuse to sit next to her, she isn't surprised. They all know each other, and she's the annoying relative that gate-crashed the wedding; she knows all their names though, and a few of their habits. Hers will die hard.

The second time, when she sits down next to one of the girls in her dorm, Daphne Greengrass, the blonde slides away, moving closer to the dark-skinned Blaise Zabini (they don't really get on, so why…?).

It took a whole week to figure out that none of them wanted to sit next to her, so she took to sitting at the end of the table, a good two meters between her housemates and her. It was terribly lonely, and she had the horrifying though of ' _what if I really am a freak?"_

She didn't realize that she had already become a pariah within her own house.

Within the first week of school.

.

.

 ** _She's a flaw in the system_**

 ** _She's a weed in the garden_**

 ** _Nobody knows her_**

 ** _Nobody dares to_**

.

The upper years controlled the House.

Whatever they said, went.

When they said that someone was a loser, or didn't deserve to have friends, that person was domed. In the case of the Girl-Who-Lived, she was destined to be alone as soon as the Sorting Hat called out her new House. Shunned by the rest of the school for her new house, and spurned by her own House for not conforming, and not meeting expectations, she was truly alone.

And that was precisely what the seniors wanted.

Her, all alone and vulnerable, weak, and easy to break.

No one was allowed to talk to her, sit next to her, eat with her, or even walk near her.

.

Ms. Potter was _persona non grata._

.

And it was going to stay that way.

.

.

 ** _The body language screams_**

 ** _FREAK!_**

 ** _She keeps her head down_**

 ** _But she has come to their attention_**

 ** _._**

She tries not to speak out too much. United front and all that. In class, she doesn't draw too much attention to herself; Dudley liked to tell his father, who would then ' _punish'_ her for showing up his son. She lets that know-it-all Granger take the spotlight, answering every single question by vomiting out the exact words from the textbooks.

On the way to different classes, older students, some from her own house, mutter to their friends, and some even shoot jinxes and hexes at her.

She has to thank them though. She's really improved her knowledge of counter-curses and healing spells.

It's the upper year Housemates that give her the creeps though. They're always watching, and muttering things. Sometimes, she sees them glaring at the other first years, and glaring at her for no apparent reason.

.

If only she knew that things were about to get much worse.

Much, much worse.

.

.

 ** _She hides in the toilets_**

 ** _But they will find her_**

 ** _She can hear their laughter_**

 ** _Echoing down the hall_**

 ** _._**

The bathroom is lovely, really. It's quiet, secluded, and no one else comes here. The ghost is really nice too; giving her someone to talk to when she gets bored, and sometimes helps her with her school work. It's not as though anyone else will, at any rate. And she knows better than to bother her teachers.

Despite what people think, the sinks are not out of order; they work fine. Myrtle just wants to be left alone sometimes. Unless it's her. Myrtle always has time for someone like her, and gives her ghostly hugs whenever she's crying at the _unfairness_ of it all.

Of course, she's never been hugged before, so Myrtle's hugs are the best things that have ever happened to her.

It's nice to know that someone cares, but it's also very odd.

No one has ever really cared before.

.

The best thing about Myrtle is that she can go from quiet and caring to raging and aggressive in a second. Her housemates don't come in the bathroom anymore.

They just wait outside.

.

.

 ** _She hides in a tree_**

 ** _Crying softly_**

 ** _She can hear them on the field_**

 ** _Calling her name_**

 ** _._**

The Forbidden Forest isn't that scary in the daytime, and the trees were very easy to climb. It was a skill born after years of running from Dudley, so she was very good at it. The leaves were also very useful for wiping away tears, or for hiding behind when they get to close. Usually, they'll look for her down by the lake, or closer to the castle.

The Forbidden Forest is filled with dangerous creatures, like Unicorns and Thestrals, after all. Who would want to go in there?

At least the Unicorns were nice, and one even healed her sprained ankle after she twisted it on a tree branch, running away. Their manes were silky, and their flanks were soft. She knew that unicorn hairs were in potions, so she started to store the ones that got stuck on her clothing. It was expensive, at any rate.

Thestrals, on the other hand, were leathery, but equally soft, like old, worn down leather. They were quite ugly, but had a certain kind of nobleness to them, and an equal amount of sadness as well. They really were as misunderstood as the Gamekeeper, Hagrid, claimed them to be.

She could relate.

She could relate quite well.

.

.

 ** _The pillow is soaked with tears_**

 ** _The taunts ring in her ears_**

 ** _Her parents don't know what's wrong_**

 ** _They can't see the hurt_**

The summer holidays don't come soon enough, and when they finally do, she's off the train and through to the other side of the platform before anyone can blink. There, she sees Aunt Petunia, all by herself, looking at her watch impatiently.

The sense of normalcy is what sends her over the edge, and she rushes forward. Petunia spots her, and opens her mouth to snap something at her, but is cut off as her niece barrels into her, her arms constricting slightly painfully around her thin waist.

Petunia is stunned for a moment, before her arms wrap around the small girl awkwardly. Never, in all the years that they'd had the girl, had she sought out physical comfort. It takes a moment to realize that her niece is sobbing into her shirt, trying to keep them hidden but failing. Petunia coughs, and pulls away from the girl.

"Grab your trunk, and come with me. We'll discuss this at home."

Her niece nods, and follows her silently. This is not how she remembered Lily; bouncing with excitement, and bursting with news, chattering on about one thing and another. Her niece is quiet, painfully thin and had red-rimmed eyes from crying. Her vibrant green eyes, which were always shinning, are now dull and muted.

This is not her niece.

.

The tea is a nice gesture, and it calms her somewhat. It's also one of the few times she's been able to sit on the couch. She's also sitting next to her aunt, and a box of tissues rests between them. The tears don't stop coming, as she pours out her entire, awful and miserable first year.

Her aunt is shocked, she can tell. Clearly, her mother had a better time at this school than she was having. She talks about Myrtle often, and how nice she is, and how she always listens to her problems. When Petunia asks if maybe she wants Myrtle over sometime in the holidays, she looks at her aunt blankly, eyes swimming with tears.

"Myrtle is a ghost that died fifty years ago at school. She haunts the second floor bathroom."

.

That's the scene that Dudley and Vernon come home to. Their niece, and resident punching bag, the freak that they never liked, sitting on the couch crying, being held by her aunt, and copious amount of used tissues lying on the coffee table.

She was still crying, and both the Dursley men saw the red cheeks, and the tear tracks. There were a few unshed tears in Petunia's eyes, but she merely mouthed ' _we'll talk later'_ at Vernon. Dudley escaped to his room, while Vernon, in a strange act of pity, took the girl's trunk up the stairs into her room, and undid the locks.

The owl was sitting by the window, and Vernon hurried to let it in, least the neighbours see. The Owl hooted, and flew to perch on the headboard, tucking her head into her wing. Vernon had considered putting bars on the window to keep the freakish thing contained, but… seeing his niece like that tugged at his heart. If that freakish school was that bad, then the girl would need to come back to a safe environment. He resolved to have a chat to Dudley.

.

Dudley didn't need the chat. He saw how his cousin looked before she went to this new school, and what that was like compared to now. From excited and happy, to sad and miserable. He himself had had an eye-opener at his school, where he realized that he didn't rule the roost as he did in primary. Some of the older students had warned him about picking on the younger years, and what the school stood for. Needless to say, he'd changed.

One of the older boys had seen his restless energy, and had introduced him to the boxing coach, telling him that he needed to find a better outlet for his energy that punching kids. As a result, he'd learned a bit of discipline, and a lot of life lessons from his coach. He'd also lost weight.

He'd seen one of the older boys rip into a third year for making a girl cry, and he'd thought of all the times that he'd picked on his cousin. He wasn't in the right, and he resolved to change that.

If his cousin was having a shit awful time at school, he would make sure that she would have a good time at home.

Maybe she'd get along with Piers' sister…

.

Dudley didn't refuse the odd request of his cousin wanting his school books every summer. Petunia and Vernon didn't refuse their niece's request of helping her catch up on 'normal' schooling.

.

.

 ** _Each day is a challenge_**

 ** _She doesn't want to go to school_**

 ** _She works in silence_**

 ** _Only answering when called upon_**

 ** _._**

Second year was worse than first, because she heard the new snakes being warned about staying away from her. All the other firsties were also warned about her, because they gave her a wide berth. Except the Lovegood girl, whom people called 'Loony'. The youngest Weasley (her older brother Ronald was a pig. She was glad to see that the girl was far more polite) was a bit odd as well, and seemed to avoid people as a whole.

She'd taken to eating early in the mornings, getting up well before any of her Housemates. She'd also gotten well adept at sneaking past the senior students if they were up early. Discovering the kitchens (courtesy of the Weasley twins, who had taken pity on her, and excluded her from pranks on her house) was the best thing that had ever happened. She could skip lunch, and just eat in the kitchens. The House Elves were a little nuts, if not nice and overly enthusiastic. Some of the older ones muttered about how skinny she was, and fed her more than she could eat.

She almost didn't want to attend classes some days, when the name-calling got a bit much, but she kept Aunt Petunia's words close to her heart.

" _Don't let them know they hurt you."_

In class, she doesn't bother to answer questions anymore, unless the teacher asks her to. She doesn't want to draw too much more attention to herself. But really, it was their own fault that they were incapable of reading the textbook clearly. Her Potion's book in particular looked slightly worn (it was second-hand, however).

.

Luna joined her in the toilets often, to talk with Myrtle. She was a little odd, and spoke of creatures sometimes that sounded ridiculous and imaginary, but she didn't judge. They were an odd pair; the eagle and the snake. They kept it all under wraps though; no point of giving her Housemates another victim.

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

 ** _The teachers are confused_**

 ** _Where did her bright smile go?_**

 ** _The vital energy that all children have?_**

 ** _They can't see the pain_**

.

Minerva McGonagall had been looking forward to having James' and Lily's daughter in her class for years, hoping that she'd be a perfect mix of the two. And she was. James' raw talent and power and Lily's looks and brains, along with both their creative streaks. However, her personality was a bit repressed, and she didn't look to have many friends. Of course, Minerva was disappointed that Ms. Potter wasn't in her house, but who wasn't? Severus had looked a little stunned when it had happened, but had thankfully, otherwise ignored her.

Second year was a puzzle, as it became perfectly obvious that the poor girl didn't have any friends, and was ostracized by her own house, not to mention the other houses. She did notice the Lovegood girl did float around her sometimes, but they never really showed any other signs of affection. Minerva was upset, and sad for her two most favourite student's daughter.

"Oh Lily, James. If only you could see what she's going through."

.

Pomona Sprout had liked Lily better than James. Lily, like her namesake, was a true flower, and had loved Herbology, especially when it related to potions. She was good at it too; Lily had told her that her parents made her work in the garden when she got home, as a chore with her sister.

Her daughter was just as good; gentle and careful with the plants, and listened attentively in class. She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty (stuck-up Malfoy on the other hand…), and often stayed behind to help clean up.

Still, Pomona noticed that the girl was miserable, and that her Badgers avoided her as much as possible, muttering about snakes and evil. For such a lovely girl, she didn't seem to have many friends, and was often seen by the edges of the Forbidden Forest. She didn't mind helping Pomona with any special projects, and was nice to Mr. Longbottom when he came. Still, Pomona mourned for the girl, and how lonely she was.

"Lily, I wish you could see your daughter now; see how much she hurts."

.

Filius Flitwick was overjoyed when Lily's daughter came to school. She was a natural at Charms, just like her mother, and had the grace and finesse that many of her classmates lacked. She had an instinctual feel for how much a twist of the wrist or a flick at the end would affect a spell, and she had the power and reflexes to respond quickly.

He especially liked the way she treated one of his eagles; young Ms. Lovegood. She never mocked her, and never tried to make her feel small, and protected her from her own Housemates, by explaining to Luna that they couldn't been seen publically, otherwise they were both dead. He was glad that Lily's daughter had at least one friend, and payed attention in class. She was the top student in her year in Charms, but he couldn't help but be a bit dejected for Ms. Potter.

"Oh Lily. If only you were still here."

.

Aurora Sinistra had met James Potter twice; first as a delinquent trying to steal her bra in fifth year, the second as Head Boy addressing the prefects. Lily Evans was a year older than her, but had helped in Charms in exchange for help in Astronomy. She could safely say that she liked Lily better than James, although James was a good leader when he was Head Boy. A far cry from the menace that he was in his younger years. When their daughter showed up to school, Aurora felt as though she was a first year watching Lily Evans come in late with Severus and Lupin. Watching her be separated from any kind of friendship until second year made Aurora's heart desolate.

"If only you could see her now, Lils."

.

Rolanda Hooch was expecting great things from Ms. Potter. Her father James was one of the best Chasers she had seen to go through Hogwarts in her time as Flight Instructor. He was a fantastic flyer, and he could have played for England if there hadn't been a war, a Dark Lord and that bloody prophecy. Her expectations were met during the first flying lesson, when Ms. Potter outshone them all (shame on you, Malfoy. I've seen apes with more grace). However, Rolanda knew that the girl would never play Seeker, or even make the reserves, with the current climate in Slytherin House. It made her forlorn about the loss of talent from the Quidditch games.

"James, how disappointed you would be for her."

.

Cuthbert Binns didn't notice much, but he did notice the way that one of his students managed to stay awake, and take comprehensive notes on his lectures. Purposefully, he changed his lectures to target this one person; the History of the Goblin rebellions, sure, but also a few Dark Lords thrown in there, and how they were defeated. He seemed to recall another bright student that looked like her a few years ago. He also noticed how she always sat alone, and how others avoided her. No matter how many classes he taught, how many years he lectured, it seemed that there was always going to be an outsider in the school.

.

Gilderoy Lockhart saw Ms. Potter as a way to further his own fame, and didn't really notice that she wasn't really paying attention to his books, instead reading a large tome on hexes, curses and counter-curses. She was the only one who didn't believe him about his exploits. In fact, the girl hadn't even bought his books. She didn't turn up to the Duelling Club, which was a huge blow to the publicity of the thing. Oh well. Now, did she have any famous or influential friends he could exploit?

.

Quirinus Quirrell, in some of his more lucid moments, marvelled at the skill the young girl had while casting spells, and the in-depth understanding of some of the darker creatures. Unfortunately, Voldemort was more focused on how many friends she had, and the power that she put behind her spells.

.

Severus Snape had mixed feelings for his best friend's child. She looked exactly like Lily, obviously had Potter's awful eyesight, but acted like himself. He knew what Slytherin was doing, and he was powerless to stop them. He had been fully prepared to hate Potter's offspring, but seeing her walk up the centre of the Great Hall, eyes alight with wonder, and it reminded him of her mother so much. It hurt. When he heard her crying in Myrtle's bathroom late at night after she'd been locked out of her dorm by Parkinson, or when he spotted some of his snakes hexing her in the hallway, it broke his heart, just a little bit more. Because sometimes, when he saw her shoved up against a wall with her books everywhere, or when she showed up to class with her uniform untidy and a split lip, he didn't see Lily Evan's daughter, nor the spawn of James Potter.

He saw himself.

.

.

 ** _They meet her outside her classroom_**

 ** _Their mockery filling her thoughts_**

 ** _The names whirling around her head_**

 ** _A cyclone of torment and despair_**

.

"Freak."

"Loser."

"Four-eyed bint."

"Moron."

"Bitch."

"Slag."

"Slut."

"Bimbo."

"Ugly."

"Whore."

"Pig."

"Cow."

"Troll."

"Orphan."

"Loner."

.

Over and over again, until it rings in her ears, and fills her very thoughts.

"Worthless."

"Lazy."

"Slob."

"Know it all."

"Stupid."

"Good for nothing."

"Trash."

"You think that you're better than everyone else."

"What! No response? Don't walk away from me, half-breed scum!"

"Only your parents could love you."

"Your parents looked at you and committed suicide."

.

Sometimes, she wanted it all to end. Maybe that was how Myrtle felt, every time those girls had mocked her for her glasses, and she got her wish.

Myrtle was holding her in the toilets, her ghostly arms making gooseflesh rise on her skin, but she didn't care. Both ghostly and salty tears dripped on the floor, and soft sobs echoed in the bathroom.

"Why are people so mean, Myrtle? Why are they so cruel?"

Myrtle shook her head, her ghostly glasses fogging up, and a memory of Olive Hornby and her friends floated through her mind.

"I don't know."

.

.

 ** _She battles through every day_**

 ** _A struggle to hide her emotions_**

 ** _They are like jackals_**

 ** _Once they smell weakness, they go in for the kill_**

 ** _._**

The second floor's girls bathroom was once again flooded, except this time, it was deliberate; Myrtle didn't want anyone to disturb her girls while they were upset. This time, it was Luna who had gotten their first, after her dorm mates let in a few older girls, which then hid her clothes and her books. Of course, Luna got in trouble in Charms with her Head of House, because she didn't have any of her equipment. On top of that, three completed essays for Transfiguration, Potions and Astronomy went missing, so Luna had to do them again quickly, and get a lower mark. Her cauldron has exploded in Potions, her wand was stolen during Transfiguration, only to be returned at the end of the period. Draco Malfoy and his goons had hexed her on the way to Herbology, some older Gryffindors had nicked her bag and held it above her head out of reach, so she was late to History of Magic, and had had a total of 60 points taken off her today. So, she was in the girl's bathroom, the standard go-to place for them to meet, and crying against her only friend's shoulder.

Myrtle felt for them, she really did. But, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy; if only she'd had a friend like this at school. She may not have been haunting the toilet alone.

.

She was immediately suspicious of the book lying inconspicuously on her bed. It was black leather, and well worn, with a few pages that had been dog-eared once, and then smoothed back out. After a few flicks, she could tell that the book didn't have any curses on it, so it should be safe to open. Hearing the footsteps of her dorm mates, she jumped onto her bed (the one by the window, furthest from the door) and closed the curtains, locking them in place with a quick charm. Hearing the voices of Parkinson, Bulstrode and Moon, she was glad that she'd shut her curtains.

Opening the book to the first page, she raised her eyebrows.

 _Property of the Half-Blood Prince._

 _The Art of Occlumency, by Aerona Prince._

She looked at the table of contents, before diving into the book eagerly, reading the first few chapters by midnight.

.

 _Clearing your Mind_

 _Hiding your Emotions_

 _Barriers_

 _Mindscapes_

.

Luna would be interested in this.

.

.

 ** _Day after day_**

 ** _Month after month_**

 ** _Year after year_**

 ** _Will it ever end?_**

 ** _._**

Second year ended in the Hospital Wing, after fighting a Basilisk to save Ginny Weasley's life. To be fair, she shouldn't have interrupted the therapy session that they were having at the time. Mind you, she was possessed by the same person who had killed Myrtle, so…

It was quite amusing that she had managed to pull out Gryffindor's Sword, despite not being in Gryffindor. She and Luna were having a good laugh about it. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, had saved her life, by crying on her wounded arm. Then, good old Tom Riddle, aka Lord Flight from Death (loser, who uses French for anagrams?) died when she plunged a Basilisk fang into his bloody diary. On the plus side though, she and Luna gained a new friend on Ginny, who got picked on by her older brother Ron and his friends, and couldn't understand the fascination with make-up and clothes that her roommates had.

Over the summer, keeping in close contact with Luna and Ginny (her brothers wouldn't recognise the owl, except Fred and George, but they were alright), Dudley introduced her to Piers younger sister, Alexa. Whereas Piers was skinny, rat-faced and annoying, Alexa was tall, funny, and liked to run. A lot. Summer that year ended with her being a lot fitter, with more muscle and a lot more freckles, and someone to write to over the school term. Alexa liked Hedwig, and thought that mail by owl was pretty cool. Sirius Black escaping from an unescapable prison, which showed the efficiency of the wizarding world, shocked her, but she didn't understand the relevance. Aunt Marge came to visit, and for once in her life, she wasn't picked on, and her parents weren't slighted. It was a nice change.

Third year saw the entrance of new electives, and new books (they were always good). She had read the pamphlets carefully, and chosen Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. It was merely a bonus that these were the least taken electives. She met a quiet Ravenclaw, Su Li, who was her assigned partner in Ancient Runes, and a member of her own house, Blaise Zabini, who was neutral in many house politics and her partner for Arithmancy. They were nice, but they weren't Luna or Ginny. Then Sirius Black was spotted in Hogsmeade, and everyone was looking at her funny; some with pity, others with malice and even more with amusement at her obliviousness. Later, after a failed Hogsmeade visit (Dumbledore had blocked her admission slip), Neville told her the reason why it had happened, during their joint Herbology project (crossbreeding a Whomping Willow branch with wolfsbane, OWL level, extra credit).

Sirius Black was her Godfather, but he'd betrayed her parents.

She was quite pissed, until Neville pointed out that he was heard muttering " _He's at Hogwarts"_ , so he can't have been after her. She met a large black dog, who was quite funny, but seemed sad. Professor Lupin was sick every month, so it wasn't long until she figured out that he was a werewolf. He was nice though, and told her stories about her parents, and how much like her mother she was. She didn't know that he could smell the loneliness embedded in her scent, or how much the wolf howled in anger for the treatment that she got. He taught her the Patronus Charm, and to his delight, she had a corporeal form; a fox.

Sirius Black broke into the Gryffindor boy's dorm, and stole Ronald's pet rat, Scabbers. A week later, there was a newspaper article stating that Sirius Black was innocent, and that Peter Pettigrew had been hiding as a rat for thirteen years with the Weasley family.

The one downside to the year (apart from the usual bullying), was that when Professor Lupin brought out the Boggart at the end of the year, it turned into a basilisk for her, with the shade of Tom Riddle standing next to it. Needless to say, her entire class freaked out.

Especially when she failed to get rid of it, and it turned into the version of Voldemort that she'd seen in her dreams casting the Killing Curse.

She didn't get to meet Sirius Black, as he was in hospital recovering from Dementor exposure.

.

Dudley was worried. His cousin was turning into a real beauty, and most of his friends were noticing. Hell, some of the guys at school noticed when she came with his dad to come and pick him up. All the running with Alexa had given her a great figure and nice legs, and the clothes she borrowed from Alexa (she'd grown out of her old ones) really showed it off. The idea came when he was at boxing one night (training all through summer, big competition four weeks after they got back).

' _What if she's taught how to protect herself?'_

He went to the coach, and asked if he was opposed to teaching a girl for the summer with them.

.

Coach MacDuff was amused at his request, thinking back to the eleven year old troublemaker that Dursley had been when he first started, compared to the young teenager now asking his help for teaching his cousin self-defence. He was surprised when Dudley's cousin turned up; he could see why Dursley was concerned. She was going to be a heartbreaker in a few years. He was equally surprised when she attacked the punching bag with fury, hitting it as hard as she could, over and over again, as if it had personally offended her. Most of the boys noticed, and backed away, muttering. MacDuff decided to ask her about it.

"Woah, calm down. What did the punching bag do to you?"

She looked at him, green eyes blazing.

"They've picked on me since I was eleven. What's to say that they won't try and have their way with me this year?"

.

Many of the boys vowed then and there to teach her all the dirty tricks they knew. Dudley was pleased. His plan had worked. Now, to see if the guys from the shooting team would teach her how to fire a gun…

.

Fourth year brought the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. She really didn't understand all the hype about it anyway. Had none of them read about the reason it shut down? Idiots. Professor Lupin had stayed on to teach Duelling to the upper years, and got glowing reports. Sometimes, Sirius Black would come and help, and share his expertise as an ex-Auror during the war, but he got tired easily, and couldn't cast many spells.

Alastor 'Mad-eye' Moody, a retired Auror, was the DADA teacher, and started his first lesson with the Unforgivable Curses. She and Neville didn't go back to his class again, instead doing independent study. Professor Snape and Professor Lupin helped when they could.

When the other schools arrived, she was less than pleased at being dragged out into the freezing cold to watch a bunch of Frenchie's shiver in the glacial temperatures because they didn't have the brains to use warming charms, and the oversized boys on steroids from Durmstrang (there was one girl in there, and she looked as though a slight breeze would blow her over) march in twos up to the castle. Unfortunately, she had to sit next to the steroid freaks at the Slytherin table, and she could hear her year mates whispering to the representatives about how she was a freak, a nobody, and you really shouldn't sit near her, or talk to her. She's not that important anyway.

The slight girl sat next to her, making no move to start a conversation, but sitting near her nonetheless. It was a nice feeling. The food was interesting to, and a pleasant change from the normal fatty, heavy food that was served.

It was a week later that she learned that the slight girl's name was Ivet Krum, and she was the younger sister of the Bulgarian Quidditch star, Viktor Krum. When her reply was a blank look, Ivet stood up, and dragged one of the older boys down, pushing him into the seat opposite.

"Dis is my _drugar_ , Viktor." She turned to her brother, and muttered something in Bulgarian. Viktor replied, looking surprised, before turning to her, holding out his hand.

"A pleasure." His English was good, but it had a thick accent. She smiled; a tiny quirk of her lips.

"The pleasure is mine." She replied, shaking his hand. Ivet grinned.

When the champions were announced, it was on Halloween. She had avoided everyone that day, and Professor Snape and Lupin were rumoured to be rather short-tempered all day as well.

As such, instead of being at the feast, she'd climbed to the top of the Astronomy Tower with Luna, and lit six candles, for her parents and both sets of grandparents. Luna lit two, for her mother and Myrtle. She knew that Professor Snape sat vigil on the balcony outside his quarters that looked over the lake, and that Professor Lupin's spot was somewhere on the seventh floor. Professor Sinistra was very kind on letting them sit up there, really. She would have joined them, but was curious to see who the champions were. Both girls were sharing some memories about their deceased loved ones (she only had a few stories from Professor Lupin to share), and the tears were flowing. She wasn't aware that her name had been drawn until Professor Sinistra had sprinted up the stairs, and asked, quite rushed, if she'd put her name in the Goblet of Fire. When the reply was the negative, Sinistra breathed a sigh of relief, and said that her name had come out, and that she was requested to participate.

When she entered the side door (after a long and nerve-wracking walk through the Great Hall, where everyone could see the tear tracks on her face), the first person she saw was Viktor, leaning against the fireplace. He spun, and immediately moved towards her, bringing her into a hug.

"I know dis isn't vat you vaunted, _sestra_."

She nodded, allowing herself this moment of weakness in front of others.

"All I wanted,' she began, voice muffled, 'was to honour my family tonight. Now I'm dragged into this freak show and I'm going to die."

Viktor mumbled something in Bulgarian, but didn't let her go.

"I vill help you, as much as I can."

" _Blagodarya._ "

.

The first task was _dragons_. They were all insane, really. Thanks to a quick test of Parseltongue the night before, she got the egg no problem. A note to Cedric Diggory, the other champion, ensured that he didn't die to.

The Yule Ball was a nightmare. She had no one to go with, no sense of fashion, no dress (the wizarding dress robes were weird, and none of them suited her. They were also out of her price range), no idea how to dance, and didn't even understand the concept of make-up, or looking pretty. Cue one letter to Aunt Petunia for dress advice (there must have been some of her old ones lying around that she could modify), one to Alexa for make-up issues and a trip to Professor Sinistra on dancing. Viktor, as it turned out, had a friend who was single and very nice (Ilya Kiril, played Chaser for the school team, tall, dark and handsome), Petunia sent her old wedding dress (a cutting spell and an embroidery spell made it unrecognizable from a wedding dress) and Alexa sent her a make-up kit and a hairstyling magazine. Professor Sinistra dragged Lupin into the dance lessons (Snape was stuck teaching the rest of her House), citing that she couldn't really learn everything from a woman. Ilya was dragged into these lessons as well, and bore it with good grace. Because, he explained, it wouldn't do for both of them to have sore toes in the morning.

The Second Task was to dive down to the bottom of a freezing cold lake _in winter_ to retrieve a hostage that was apparently ' _someone they'd miss the most'_. She would have picked Luna, Ginny, or even that nutty house elf, Dobby, that was quite endearing, not Ivet. When Viktor told her (his hostage was Luna; she'd introduced them and they'd gone to the Yule Ball together) that Ivet was missing, she panicked. It was only the knowledge that Neville's plan to use Gillyweed was top secret, and no one knew about it. That, and her lack of swimming expertise. Ivet was like ice, and it was lucky that she got to Madame Pomfrey quickly, otherwise she could have died. Viktor confessed that Ivet had always caught colds easily, and got very sick as a child.

The third and final task was a maze filled with dangerous creatures that would have loved to have a Potter-sized snack, but she was lucky that all that running with Alexa paid off. She made it to the Cup in record time, looking around for any traps or such, before she picked it up. The unfamiliar swooping sensation left her dizzy and nauseous, and her knees hit the hard ground with a thump. There was a flash of red light, then no more.

When she came to, she was tied to an angel statue, as if she was being crucified. There was a cauldron next to her, and an odd man was standing next to her. There was a large snake there also, and some sort of baby thing. The man looked as though he'd fought a blender and lost; his face was messed up, and he had half a nose.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!' earth rose up from the grave next to her. All she could think of at that moment was one of the many zombie slasher movies that she watched with Dudley and Alexa.

' _Please don't be a zombie.'_ She prayed. She was semi-relieved when it was just bones.

'Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master,' she looked away as the man chopped off his own arm with a meat cleaver, blood spurting out in a gruesome fountain.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe." She looked at him in horror, before she masked her expression. She glared at him when he approached her with the meat cleaver.

"Clean it first." She ordered. The man paused.

"What?"

"Clean the bloody meat cleaver first, or your blood will mix with mine, and it won't work. No!" she snarled at him, 'with a piece of cloth, not your wand, you moron. Magic doesn't get rid of everything, dunderhead. If you cut someone with an unclean knife, the risk of infection is at 90%. Do you want your master to come back deformed?"

The minion blinked, and then hurried to find a clean piece of cloth. She looked at the snake.

{ _Stupid, isn't he. His shirt would have done fine. You have my sympathy for working with such imbecilic people.}_

There was an odd hissing sound, which she figured out was the snake laughing. The snake turned away from her, and she twisted her wrists, trying to free them. The man was now being chased by the snake, who was hissing.

{ _Use your shirt, you idiot! Are you even listening to what I'm saying?}_

With a sharp tug, one wrist was free. Pulling her wand out of her pocket (a stupid place to put it, but she needed to get a wand sheath. Maybe a calf holder?), she cast.

" _Accio cup_!"

The snake and the man paused, and watched their captive disappear. The snake hissed menacingly at the man.

{ _This is your fault.}_

 _._

She was greeted with polite clapping amongst Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, and cheers throughout Durmstrang, along with the audience. She ignored them, walking towards the platform with the judges and the rest of the champions. Viktor looked a tad beat up, Fleur was rather dishevelled, and Cedric was bleeding from multiple wounds. She dumped the cup on the table, and took the bag of gold, glaring at Bagman.

"You might want to check the Cup next time. Anyone could tamper with it." She stalked off, winking at Viktor who was trying not to laugh, and catching the Weasley twin's eyes, jerking her head towards the castle entrance. They nodded, and moved out of their seats, Ginny, Luna and Ivet following. They all crashed into her with a big hug, talking all at once. She ducked out of their embrace, and handed the bag to the twins.

"Go open your joke shop. Make people smile." Hugging Ginny, Luna and Ivet, she ducked off into Myrtle's bathroom, to tell the ghost everything that happened.

.

No one found her until the next day, crying from stress overload and relief that she'd lived.

.

.

It was strange, she mused, that she should start out with no friends, and then have so many people to write to that she had to buy another owl (Nicholas, the patron saint of children). Hedwig had been in a tiff, until she explained that she was too noticeable in England, and that she was much better at flying long distances. Ilya, Viktor and Ivet had wanted to write to her (Ilya had actually wanted her to come to Bulgaria for a summer, but she had to decline politely, on account of having just met. He didn't seem put off, just embarrassed), and Luna, Ginny and now Su Li wrote her letters. Su's were more school based, their Ancient Runes project planning for OWLS, while Ginny and Luna were complaining about their siblings or discussing some brand new creature that they were discovering. Alexa helped her with the new clothes that were 'in' (really, she just borrowed them anyway) and came up with some new ways to style her hair, and squealed over what she had done to her dress. Petunia seemed pretty impressed to, stating that ' _The dress was so ugly it was a miracle that I wore it.'_ Ivet and Viktor kept her up-to-date on Viktor's games, and Ivet's Masteries (Dark Arts and Defence Against, Battle Magic), and Ilya talked about what he was planning to do ( _one year of school left, and Vicky isn't going to be there. Our team is doomed_ ).

There was the whole thing with the Dementors near the end, but Professor Lupin and Sirius were able to chase them off.

.

Fifth Year brought the names back. She supposed that she should have expected it; Viktor and the others weren't around anymore to keep them away, and she'd never been seen with Luna of Ginny before. If anything, it was worse, because the younger years joined in. Especially in Slytherin. The new Defence teacher was an overweight pink toad with a throat problem, and made no secret of her dislike of her, Professor Lupin, and the 'sub-standard' (read- not brainwashing them for the Ministry) education. Defence was boring; all they did was copy notes from the book (Defensive Theory, William Slinkard. Useless tosser.), without any real discussion. Professor Snape was actually teaching the Slytherin's after classes had finished. Of course, she hadn't been invited.

The entrance of the High Inquisitor brought about massive changes within Slytherin, with the formation of the Inquisitorial Squad. Suddenly, Slytherin was split; half wanting to ignore Umbridge, and others wanting her anti-muggle-born laws to go through. Those that wanted things left alone rallied around Blaise Zabini, the Greengrass sisters and Theodore Nott, while the others sided with Malfoy, Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle. She merely sat to the side, and watched with interest as sides were formed. She had thrown up a wandless and wordless shield around Zabini; he'd been fired at with a nasty hex, and she bloody well needed her Arithmancy partner this year. It was, after all, OWL year.

Su Li told her during Ancient Runes that Ravenclaw had divided as well, and Ginny was angry at Ronald for saying that all the ' _bloody snakes probably sucked up to Umbitch in order to get the better grades in her classes.'_ Hufflepuff was still upset over Umbridge taking a dig at Cedric's failure in the Tournament.

For the first time in a whole year, Myrtle's bathroom was once again used, much to the ghost's pleasure. A few ventures down into the Chamber of Secrets led to the discovery of the not-rotting basilisk corpse (odd, wasn't it?), a few spell books in Parseltongue, and a Potions lab, connected with a duelling room. Spare time had just become a lot more fun. Ginny joined her most of the time, occasionally George and Fred would pop by, and Luna was there all the time. Umbridge tried to fire the Divination teacher, and Neville was getting a bit creeped out by all the weird looks he was getting from the Headmaster. Their crossbreed of the Whomping Willow and mandrake (where Neville was getting these cuttings, she had no idea) was going quite well, but it was sometimes hard to follow directions when wearing earmuffs. She got the occasional headache, but she just crossed it off as being back in a stressful environment. It was, mostly, an uneventful year, and that left her quite disappointed. In fact, the only thing of interest was the Daily Prophet articles, declaring her an unstable and insane teenager who couldn't respect her betters.

It was all rather amusing.

.

.

Summer was a bit like her first year, except instead of crying on her Aunt's shoulder, she was crying on Ilya's. It had been a pleasant surprise, to come home from the station, driven by Dudley (Vernon was in the car though, Dudley was aiming for his license in a few weeks), and see Ilya sitting on the couch, talking with Aunt Petunia over a cup of tea. It had been an even pleasanter surprise when Petunia had allowed them to go up to her room. Alone. Not that they would have done anything anyway, being busy crying and talking respectively. Ilya told her all about his Apprenticeship with a world renowned Rune Master, who also had a double Mastery in Arithmancy as well (double Masteries were dead rare; Professor Vector had one in Arithmancy and Spellcrafting. Triple Masteries were almost unheard of), and he seemed quite impressed with her OWLS projects for both subjects (arithmetic equations for Potion's ingredients, and how they react with each other. Professor Snape discreetly gave her O+ on her final marks for it. A comprehensive dictionary for beginners in Runes, holding all the known runes, plus a few symbols in Parseltongue that held power, and some Eastern Runes used in basic rituals. Professor Babbling was ecstatic). He especially liked the Runic dictionary she gave him as a late birthday present, with most of the darker symbols that both she and Su left out.

Ilya took her on a double date with Victor and Luna, to see the London Symphony Orchestra (muggle side. Apparently at Durmstrang, you are expected to blend in completely with the Muggle world), perform Vivaldi's _The Four Seasons_. She and Luna had loved it, never seeing anything like it before. Alexa had introduced her boyfriend- a boy form Dudley's boxing team called Raphael- and he and Ilya got along splendidly. Son though, Ilya had to leave, and she pretended not to hear Dudley's vomiting noises when they kissed goodbye, with promises of visiting when the war was over.

There had been attacks on various muggle places, and a few on Diagon Alley, along with the Minister's denial of Voldemort's return (she supposed that they had managed to complete the ritual after all. Bother.).

.

Sixth Year, and something was wrong. She could practically taste it in the air, and feel it thrumming through the very stones of Hogwarts itself. The first thing that started the whole feeling was when she was cornered by the four people she least expected; Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, and the Carrow sisters. The interrogation went something like this.

"You turned sixteen this summer?"

"Yes."

"Did you go to Gringotts?"

"Only for school stuff. I had to write a letter to Professor Snape to ask if he knew where my key was; Hagrid had it last time."

The chorus of cursing and insults that followed were, surprisingly, not directed at her.

And so began the almost daily lessons of pureblood laws and mannerisms, her inheritance, account managing, politics, dress sense, and all the things she should have learned if her parents had still been alive. And if Sirius (now her uncle; he wasn't serious enough (those puns were terrible) to look after her), had raised her from the start. To the surprise of her new tutors, she turned out to be _very_ Slytherin when it came to politics and laws, and had a natural grace, once all her bad habits were gone anyway. Her accounts were fine, and her accounting skills were decent enough, of not better than most, due to Dudley's old school books. One slightly cold letter towards Gringotts demanding _why_ they didn't tell her about her inheritance when she showed up on her sixteenth birthday had them scrambling for apologies, her Head of House Ring, and for her old account managers head.

Draco Malfoy was acting odd; very secretive, and not boasting as much as usual. She suspected the Dark Mark had been branded into his skin, and that he had an impossible mission to complete, most likely kill Dumbledore or something equally stupid. Parkinson and Bulstrode seemed to be whispering more often, and shooting worried glances at Malfoy when he wasn't looking. Crabbe and Goyle were just as thick as ever.

One highlight of the year, was that she now had Duelling with Professor Lupin and his assistant, Sirius Black. Sirius was looking better, but had still yet be able to best Lupin in a duel, like they both said he'd been able to.

Professor Snape seemed particularly livid that year, when Umbridge returned, breaking the curse. This time though, she was directly interfering with the schooling system; Potions became an almost theory based subject (hence the reason for Snape's temper, and the reason why everyone tip-toed around him. Who knew that Potion brewing was a stress reliever for him?), while Duelling, Charms and Ancient Runes were permanently supervised (Professor Babbling having a criminal record for illegal rituals. You learnt something new every day).

The insults had increased from the upper years and most of the lower years, as the upper years realized that this would be the last time they would be able to insult her, and the younger years wanted to get in some practise before she became untouchable, since her own year mates were no longer picking on her.

Voldemort, the prick, was seen in the Ministry, and killed the Minister near the end of the year. Draco tried to kill Dumbledore and got captured. Snape, Lupin, Sinistra and Vector locked themselves in Snape's quarters in order to avoid Umbridge near the end of the year when she wanted them to do something at the Leaving Feast. It was rumoured that they were playing "Never have I ever…" in order to pass the time, before Flooing out of Snape's office to go home.

.

Summer sucked.

Petunia, Vernon and Dudley had to leave, because they " _were in the line of fire, and Voldemort may target them to get to you,"_ , Ilya was blocked from seeing her, Viktor was training for some game, Ivet was in hospital after a training incident with her Master, Luna and Ginny had also been kidnapped, and she was dragged to a hole-in-the-wall dump where Sirius used to live (now flatting with Lupin in London, 221C Baker Street or something), because it was the HQ for the Order of the Flaming Chicken (it was a bit mean, and Fawkes was a nice bird, but really?), and it was their sole job to protect her from Voldemort.

She could think of a billion different things to waste her time with.

She finally met Ginny's mother (she _really_ didn't like hugs from people she didn't know), and unfortunately had to put up with The Pig (Ronald), caught up with the Devil Twins, met a few cool people like Ginny's older brothers William and Charles (Bill, please. You (insert wink) can call me anything you like), Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt (Metamorphagus and an African Sage respectively), and retired Auror Moody (the real one this time). Snape was part of the Order as well, as a spy (he slipped her mail from her Slytherin tutors, and later her friends when her mail was blocked), as were Sirius and Lupin (tried to avoid the house as much as possible, bad memories, but always made time for her. Sirius gave her and Ginny alone access to the Black Library).

Know-it-all Granger was there too, and she was livid when she wasn't allowed access to the library. Sirius, as a prank, said that only those with Black blood could enter. Ronald turned into a canary when he tried. Granger rubbed it in that she was Head Girl, because " _it was obvious that she had always had the higher grades"_ , until Ginny told her where to shove her badge.

Bill, Charlie and the Twins had never been prouder.

.

.

 ** _When they finally leave_**

 ** _After years of silent tears_**

 ** _It is already too late_**

 ** _The damage is done_**

.

Seventh Year was a nightmare.

Voldemort had openly attacked the Wizarding World several times, and had almost completely taken over the Ministry. Muggleborns were being killed in their homes, and Sirius and Lupin were pressured into leaving Hogwarts (they declined, politely) by Umbridge, so that the " _Ministry will ensure the best education possible in these dark and dangerous times"_. Neville had joined them in the Chamber of Secrets, and the Twins were focusing on developing their Defence line in their joke shop.

All too soon, people started to mutter about her.

 _Where does she go after classes?_

 _How come she isn't doing more to help the others?_

 _I bet she just let the muggleborns die, the evil snake._

 _Why doesn't she just face Voldemort and win already?_

.

How wonderful the Wizarding World was, to throw someone barely of age to the Dark Lord for breakfast. Or maybe dessert. Professor Snape seemed particularly on edge, and constantly rubbed at his Mark as if it pained him (it probably did. Voldy was summoning his followers often). Umbridge had become the most hated teacher, with her preaching about Pureblood supremacy, and how purebloods needed to take their place in Wizarding society. When Snape was told that he no longer held the place, he rolled his eyes and docked points. Luna had been missing at the start of the year, but had showed up before Christmas, making a grand entrance at dinner, before collapsing from blood loss and exhaustion. She and Ginny took turns at watching over her in the hospital wing, although her shift was underneath an Invisibility Cloak that she got from her vault (after recalling the entire contents of her parents vaults. There were quite a lot of books that showed up, plus the Cloak, a bit of parchment that opened to " _I solemnly swear I'm up to no good"_ and closed to " _Mischief Managed"_ ).

Her pureblood lessons continued, but with even stricter security around- Theodore's dad was a Death Eater, and the Greengrass's and the Zabini's wished to remain purely neutral, as they had in the last war.

Dumbledore was doing absolutely stuff all to help, despite the whole " _Defeater of Grindlewald, his secret lover, and the only reason Voldemort fears him; one single act"._

.

She was starting to get _really_ pissed off with the Wizarding world.

.

.

 ** _The insecurity is there_**

 ** _Hiding under the mask_**

 ** _Her confidence shattered_**

 ** _The need to stay hidden compelling_**

 ** _._**

She deliberately not attending meals in the Great Hall anymore.

Luna joined her, after being released from the Hospital Wing, stating " _No one really notices me anyway."_ Ginny and Neville would have joined them, but if all four of them were missing, then it would have started gossip.

Well, even more gossip that would circulate about her.

.

In class, she sat in the back, blending in with the shadows. She had asked Professor Lupin not to call on her in Duelling, and Professor Snape ignored her, as usual. In fact, he didn't even check on her potions, just let her hand them in at the end of the period. The biggest surprise, however, were the notes slipped to her by a few of the teachers, and some students, with one word written on them.

.

 _Support._

.

It made her feel better, knowing that some people supported, and had faith, in her to do the right thing.

But, were they placing their faith in the wrong person?

She was nobody; no one important in the school. How on earth was she supposed to defeat Voldemort?

.

.

 ** _The anger is there, also_**

 ** _Boiling deep beneath the surface_**

 ** _The need for justice_**

 ** _The desire for retribution_**

 ** _._**

She wanted to.

Oh, how she wanted to yell and scream and hurt and curse people like there was no tomorrow.

The insults just got worse and worse. All throughout class, walking to and from classes, in the bathrooms (she had taken to using Myrtle's one for everything, now), in the common room (not that she sat in there that often) and even in the library, in the form of harsh whispers and hissed words.

Every morning she would meditate, psyching herself up for another day of school, and pushing the boiling anger down, and imagining it cooling, or shoving it behind a wall of water and ice in the deep recesses of her mind. Every evening she'd practise spells and curses until she was exhausted and she no longer felt like killing someone with those two little words. She may have been a ravenette, but she was a red-head at heart.

It wasn't a matter of ' _if'_ , it was a matter of ' _when'._ And something told her that it would be quite spectacular.

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

 ** _One day, the barrier will burst_**

 ** _A raging torrent of hurt and pain_**

 ** _The years of loneliness, sadness and suffering_**

 ** _That only a victim of bullying can know._**

.

The morning Voldemort attacked, the sky was overcast, and the entire atmosphere was gloomy. There were plans that were carried out, such as the children from 5th year down were locked in their common rooms, the 5th years providing protection, and the Headmaster placing the castle rooms on lockdown. Professor Trelawney shed her disguise as a Seer, and proved to be quite lethal with her spells, as only an Unspeakable could be. Sirius Black (now completely recovered), Remus Lupin, and the cooler members of the Order, led many Death Eater on a merry chase throughout the castle, killing them off in small groups, while the older members still stunned their opponents. Tossers.

Professor Snape took down Voldy's snake with a custom cutting hex, before duelling Bellatrix Lestrange and Rookwood at the same time, while McGonagall, Sinistra and Vector battled werewolves. Babbling threw rune blocks at the giants (he had a great arm) which in turn either shrunk them down, or turned them to stone upon contact. The Aurors battled vampires, and students fought giant spiders or each other. Sprout and Neville brought out the crossbreeds from her OWL year, and they wreaked havoc on the borders of the school, preventing re-enforcements from entering. Luna and Ginny duelled Lucius and Draco Malfoy.

It was organized chaos.

.

And in the middle of it all stood Dumbledore, duelling at least five Death Eaters at once, back straight and wrist flicking faster that she could follow. Flitwick was showing everyone exactly why he was a Duelling Champion, taking on the Lestrange brothers and Dolohov. Her Slytherin friends were missing; Theodore running interference in the corridors with Blaise, and Daphne and the Carrow sisters on the Astronomy Tower, helping Babbling take down the giants.

.

Of course, the entire battle nearly stopped when she went head-to-head with Voldemort himself.

.

Nearly, meaning that Snape ended his duel with Lestrange and Rookwood in a messy and enthusiastic manner while they were distracted, and saw fit to use a few dark curses that were possibly fatal on Avery, Mulciber and Rodolphus Lestrange. Flitwick incapacitated the remaining Lestrange and Dolohov, the latter missing his legs, while the former dropped to the ground, cause unknown. Vector wrapped a werewolf in silver cord, while McGonagall decapitated a werewolf with what looked to be a Scottish Claymore. Sinistra was burning a few with iron control over Fiendfyre, eyes dark with anger.

.

.

The spells came thick and fast, both pushing themselves to their limits; Voldemort fuelled by the Dark madness, herself fuelled by a desire to live. Her body moved fluidly, as if she was a water nymph. She was dancing around spells, flipping over conjured items, and blocking his mental attacks at the same time. It was exhausting. She dimly heard shielding spells go up from behind her, protecting the students and her allies, as she dodged an Avada Kedavra, before she returned fire with her own spell chain (Sectumsempra, stupefy, confrigo, conjunctivitis, protego, langlock, reducto, Sectumsempra).

Stone and wood were transfigured, conjured, blocked, summoned and banished, and the amount of spell-fire tainted the air with a metallic and strangely burnt scent. Fire was extinguished, water was vaporized, air dispelled and earth disintegrated. Ice was melted, wood was splintered and metal was broken.

Voldemort was laughing through the smoke.

"You think you have the power to defeat me?! I AM LORD VOLDEMORT! I AM IMMORTAL! You're parents at least had the decency to plead for their miserable lives before I ended them. Perhaps when I'm finished with you, I'll start on your godfather and the mutt, then that little ghost that you're so fond of."

Her teeth ground against each other.

"You've done enough to Myrtle already, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Leave her out of this."

"YOU DARE USE THAT NAME, WORTHLESS SLUT!? You're pathetic, Potter. The only reason you've managed to survive this long is because of luck. A worthless waste of space that no one wanted, a disgrace to your House. Friendless, alone, unwanted, useless. No one ever wanted you, mewling child. You're a curse on your family name, and a blight on the Wizarding World. You should have been drowned at birth and spared everyone the horror of being near you."

.

She screamed.

.

A wave of magic poured over her, making her hair stand on end and her eyes glow.

.

' _Freak!"_

 _"_ _You're parents looked at you and committed suicide."_

 _"_ _Four-eyed bint."_

 _"_ _Troll."_

" _Ugly."_

 _"_ _Pathetic."_

 _"_ _Worthless."_

 _"_ _Loser."_

 _"_ _Slut."_

 _._

A steady stream of dark green magic collected in her hands, burning her wand to cinders, and expanded to cover her, before bursting outwards in a rushing torrent of anger, hurt, loneliness and pain.

.

 _"_ _Professor Vector, what House were you in while you were at school."_

 _"_ _Hm? Oh, I didn't go to Hogwarts. I never received a letter."_

 _"_ _So, you're a squib?"_

 _"_ _No, Mr. Goldstein, I'm not a squib. I didn't receive my Hogwarts letter, because the Ministry didn't see fit to send me one. I and many other wizards and witches were just one of many to miss out. You are all very, very privileged to get you letter, so don't take it for granted. I ended up going to Durmstrang in my third year after attending a Muggle school for two years, when a scout saw my marks. Only the very brightest get into Hogwarts. Blood has nothing to do with it. It's all based on your own merits. And if your parents have already paid the tuition fee."_

 _"_ _I suppose that's why Potter got in; her parents already paid the fees. Otherwise, she'd be in a Muggle school with the rest of the filth."_

 _"_ _Detention, Smith! I assure you that Ms. Potter's marks are far higher than your own at the moment. Perhaps you should concentrate on working instead of insulting your classmates."_

 _._

Voldemort screamed in agony as the magic encircled him, burning him and freezing him at the same time. His followers fell, clutching their Dark Marks and writhing in pain, while a few dropped to their knees, obviously fighting him.

.

 _"_ _Why are people so mean, Myrtle? Why are they so cruel?"_

 _"_ _I don't know."_

 _"_ _They've picked on me since I was eleven. What's to say that they won't try and have their way with me this year?"_

 _"_ _How come you aren't doing more to help the others?"_

 _"_ _I bet you just let the muggleborns die, evil snake."_

 _._

Voldemort was slowly disintegrating in front of her very eyes, and many of his followers were frothing at the mouth, as if they'd eaten a cyanide pill. There was a wind blowing, and there was hysterical laughter. It must have been coming from Luna or Ginny.

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" _Professor Snape?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Ms. Potter?"_

 _"_ _How do you know if things are going to get better?"_

 _"_ _You don't. You just have to hope that someday, you'll be free of everything."_

 _"_ _Do you hope that you'll be free of everything one day, sir?"_

 _"_ _Unfortunately, Ms. Potter, the day I'll be free will be the day that I'm eternally free, both bonds and body."_

 _._

With a final, incoherent yell, she _pushed_. Voldemort exploded into fire, his screams abruptly dying and filling the air with the crackling of burning flesh, and the moans of the wounded and dying.

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She dropped to her knees, tears streaking through the blood, dust and gore covering her face. A high-pitched keening sound made its way out of her throat, and echoed across the now silent battlefield as she stared at the remains of her wand, the remains of a phoenix feather fluttering slightly. She ran her fingers through the ashes, trying to feel any last sparks of magic. Her chest felt hollow, empty.

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Cheers sounded, and the sound of fireworks filled the air as people celebrated the end of Voldemort. But she heard them from far away, eyes flicking between her wand and the charred remains of Voldemort. She lifted her head, and took in the scene of joy and sorrow. Luna and Ginny were standing to the side of the crowd, arms around each other, faces buried in each other's neck, hair hiding their faces. Daphne, Blaise and the Carrow twins were casting frantic spells over Theodore, trying to stabilize him, while Professor Snape was sitting against a stone wall that was miraculously still standing, shoulder to shoulder with another Death Eater with auburn hair, who had his head resting on his shoulder. Professor's Vector, McGonagall and Sinistra were moving werewolf and spider corpses towards the bridge. The Weasley twins were leaning over the body of an older brother, tear tracks down their faces (glasses, so it must have been Percy), while Remus was holding Tonks while she cried over the body of a dark-haired woman who had the same facial features as her, and Bill was kissing Fleur Delacour (she'd transferred to the British Gringotts over the summer) while Charlie sat next to a Hungarian Horntail, stroking its snout as it had its wing repaired. Neville was standing over the corpse of Bellatrix Lestrange, a sword in his hand, looking at her features with a hard and unforgiving face.

And all the people who had tormented her, mocked her, and beat her down, were standing in the middle of the courtyard, celebrating, cheering about the loss of a Dark Lord, and pushing aside _her_ loss.

' _Where is Sirius?'_

As if her thoughts had summoned him, he was there, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly, as if to reassure himself that she was there, and in fact, alive. She breathed in the scent of canine mixed with blood and stone dust, and the salt from tears.

"You're alright now, pup. You're safe." He whispered, over and over again as she cried against his chest.

"My wand…" she started brokenly, but Sirius hushed her.

"I'm sure Ollivander will be more than happy to make you a new one. You know he likes a challenge."

She sniffled, and nodded her head, relishing that he was _alive_ and that his hugs were so _warm._ It was then that the cold reality of who defeated Voldemort kicked the others in the face, and they turned towards her.

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It was chaos as they rushed towards her, patting her on the shoulders, and ripping her away from Sirius, and hoisting her on shoulders to parade her around, cheering and laughing and say how they " _Always knew you could do it."_ She could see Sirius at the edge of the crowd, trying to reach her, and Professor Snape had stood up with his…friend (she didn't know what he was to the Potion's Master), and seemed to be muttering something to him, eyes fixed on her. Remus had reached a panicked Sirius, and was trying to calm him down.

Someone grabbed her from behind, their arms around her waist in a gesture of familiarity and she reacted accordingly, grabbing their hand and pulling them over her shoulder, before pinning them to the ground. She reached for her wand, only to be reminded that it was broken, and instead pulled a knife out of her boots, pressing it to the man's neck.

To her horror, it was Ronald, who was muttering something about ' _rightfully mine'_ and ' _marriage contract'_. She stood up quickly, backing away through the gap that the crowd gave her.

"Leave me alone, you useless, pathetic sheep. I want nothing more to do with you."

"Ms. Potter…" Dumbledore began, moving towards her, only to be blocked by Sirius' wand.

"Stay the hell away from my goddaughter, Dumbledore. You've done enough." _  
_"Sirius…" Dumbledore held his hands out towards them beseechingly, palm up. A scroll of parchment slapped into his palm, and eyes turned towards the Potion's Professor that put it there.

"My resignation, Headmaster. I will no longer play your sick games."

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"I think,' she began quietly,' that it's high time I went to visit Ilya in Bulgaria."

She spun on her heel, walking towards the bridge, noting absently that Voldemort's wand had also disintegrated, and feeling Sirius and Remus fall in behind her. Luna, Snape and his friend followed, Snape supporting Luna as she became dizzy from blood loss. Ginny followed almost immediately with her brothers, bar Ronald, and Sinistra, Vector and McGonagall followed, the scrolls sitting on the ground by Dumbledore's shocked figure. Neville and Blaise carried a stretcher with Theodore on it, while Daphne, her younger sister and the Carrow twins (Daphne carrying the sword Neville had) followed the exhausted Flitwick, levitating Su Li behind them.

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That was the power the Dark Lord knew not.

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Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

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 **The end! (Maybe). The poem is MINE! HANDS OFF! No really, it was part of an assignment in yr 10, and I went through my old USB and found it. Inspiration comes from the strangest places.**

 **As usual, read and review!**

 **I may post a "what happened after", but…no promises. If you want one, tell me!**

 **.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Tori.**


	2. Of Endings, Happy or Otherwise

**This is for "snowwolf12132", who requested a "what happened after". This will not be a story, but rather a collection of scenes, and newspaper clippings from various times. Note the years have been changed so that it is more…modernish, but hey, it's fanfiction.**

 **Enjoy!**

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"Ah, Ms. Potter, I was expecting you. Holly, 11 ½ inches, phoenix feather core, wasn't it?"

Ollivander peered up from behind his desk, and narrowed his eyes. "Disintegrated during the final battle; a most curious outcome. I admit, in all my years, I have never seen a wand that did that."

Briallen Potter nodded, brushing her dark curls out of her face.

"I do apologize, Master Ollivander. It was never my intention to destroy my…wand." Her voice caught on the last word, and she bit her lip, the hollow feeling in her chest expanding a little more. Ollivander's expression softened, and he walked up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her towards the back room.

"Do not be upset, Ms. Potter, it was an accident. And if that was the price we had to pay for the Dark Lord…burning, then it is a small price indeed. Now, you most definitely have changed, so any wand too similar to your old one will not do, hence a custom wand. I do not do these often, but I believe I will make an exception."

"Thank you, Master Ollivander." Briallen whispered, ducking her head.

Ollivander moved towards a chest, and opened it, pulling out separate compartments. Some had wood samples, while others held dragon heartstrings, unicorn hair, phoenix feathers, and a few other cores which she didn't recognize. There were a few vials of brightly coloured liquids that drew her eyes; in particular a violent green that looked like a cross between Rita Skeeter's suit, her own eyes and the Basilisk skin. There was another one that looked like liquid starlight, and another that reminded her of black ice.

She reached her hand out to touch the black ice, and Ollivander grabbed her hand, looking from the vial to her, studying her closely.

"Dementor blood is a bit dark for you, my dear. It would suit you ill after all of…this." He waved his hand vaguely, but Briallen knew precisely what he meant.

"Now, I want you to run your hands over the woods, and pick out one that feels warm. Do it slowly, and pause over the ones that give you a positive feeling."

Briallen did so, pausing momentarily over eight of the woods. Ollivander hummed as he pulled them out, laying them on the bench, eyeing a few of them thoughtfully.

"Run your hand over them again, just a little slower. One of them should jump out at you, but tell me how each of them feel."

She nodded again, placing her hand over the first one.

"Bright, flowing, sharp, hard…,' one of them rolled towards her, and Ollivander picked it up, placing it to the side and gesturing for her to continue. "That one felt a little sad, but complete, dark, righteous,…" she paused as she recognized the wood at the end, and shook her head, looking at Ollivander pleadingly.

"Not that wood, please."

Ollivander nodded, and took the rest away.

"I didn't think yew would be good for you at any time, and you seem too tired for blackthorn. Cypress,' he gestured to her, 'will be a good match. Mostly for self-sacrificing wielders, and you have sacrificed much in this war. Now, to the cores…"

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It was a very long process, but they had finally narrowed it down to Thestral hair and a vial of Basilisk venom. When Ollivander looked puzzled, and started muttering " _curious, most curious"_ , Briallen took pity on him.

"I'm a Parselmouth."

That cleared up, he set about making her wand, muttering measurements, pausing to look at her, and then start muttering again. He very graciously allowed her to stay in the backroom and watch him craft it, Briallen realizing that it wasn't often, if at all, that someone got to watch him at work.

After about a three hour wait, Ollivander held up her wand, the smooth polish of it gleaming in the sunlight that filtered through a small, dusty window; the curved handle having a representation of a fox head at the end.

"Cypress and Thestral hair, infused with Basilisk venom, 12 ½ inches, bendy, good for any type of magic."

He offered the handle to her, and Briallen took it nervously. As soon as her hand closed completely around the handle, magic rushed through her veins, and the hollow feeling in her chest had gone. She lifted it up, and waved it slightly, watching as silvery mist flowed out, before forming her fox Patronus. Ollivander clapped, even as it wove around her, nudging her with its nose. Briallen smiled at it, before reaching into her purse, hunting for Galleons.

"How much…?"

"There's no need for that, my dear." Ollivander cut her off. "You've already given us so much."

"Master Ollivander…"

"I won't hear of it, Ms. Potter. Make sure you clean it regularly, and if possible, soak it in Basilisk venom when you can. Enjoy your trip to Bulgaria." He pushed her out the door, waving away her protests, and gave her a smile.

"I expect great discoveries for you, Ms. Potter."

He shut the door, and Briallen huffed, drawing the hood on her cloak back up to avoid recognition. She placed the wand in her arm sheath and turned to Apparate, before something occurred to her.

"I never told him I was going to Bulgaria."

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The underground rooms of the Vratsa Vultures home ground were packed, and Briallen held tightly to Luna's hand as they weaved their way towards the locker rooms, making sure that her pass was on display for the security guards to see. It had been a spectacular match; Ilya's debut game had certainly gone out with a bang. The Vultures won 520-140, with Viktor catching the snitch at the twenty minute mark, and Ilya scoring the majority of the goals; a perfect example of flawless technique that made the Hogwarts games look like toddlers on training brooms.

Luna had been sent two " _significant others"_ passes courtesy of Viktor, along with a note of " _please come, Ilya's moping and tearing his hair out for this game, and he hasn't heard from Briallen since you all went underground."_

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Hence the hurried trip to Bulgaria with a small written note left on the kitchen table for Sirius and Remus to see. And Tonks. Because she did _not_ see Remus and Tonks getting together.

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The locker room door were shut, and there was steam billowing from underneath the doors, along with a mixture of English and Bulgarian jokes and insults. The security guard there narrowed his eyes, but Luna flashed her pass, and leaned against the wall, indicating that she'll wait. He relaxed, and Briallen leaned against the wall, sliding down it so that her knees were drawn up to her chest. Her heart was thumping in her chest, palms sweaty. She'd always hated crowds, after years of being a loner at school, with very few friends i.e. three, and big crowds with people pushing and shoving always brought back days of the school halls with people shooting jinxes and hexes at her.

The door opened, and an enormous man, about the same size as Hagrid, stepped out, his black jacket holding the Vultures emblem. He paused, and stared at both Luna and Briallen, eyes narrow, and he jolted forward, as if someone had walked into him. This seemed to be the case, as there was an explosion of Bulgarian muttering, to which the coach replied. Briallen frowned, her own rudimentary Bulgarian knowledge too small to translate.

She was saved, somewhat, when Viktor pushed past the coach to swoop Luna up into a passionate kiss, Luna's feet leaving the floor with the height difference. There was cheering and cat calls, and the coach looked to Briallen, who shrugged. The coach coughed, causing the two to break up, Luna blushing but grinning widely, and Viktor looking at her adoringly. Luna pecked him on the nose, and smiled wider.

"Well done Viktor. The Wrackspurts were nowhere near you, and they seem to have been gone for a long time." There was a choking sound form the door, and Briallen spotted the Keeper, Dmitri Orlov, coughing in his hand to disguise laughter. Viktor grinned, and whispered something in her ear, causing Luna to shriek excitedly, and hug him tightly. Briallen watched this scene with fond amusement, before the rest of the Quidditch team exited, watching the couple with mixtures of curiosity, amusement and confusion.

Briallen searched for one face in particular, her mind a whirlwind of things that she would say to him, and how he might react, and what she should do if he was an imposter, and what if he…she saw him, leaning against the doorframe, watching Luna and Viktor talk in a strange mix of Bulgarian and English, a melancholy look on his face as he saw them kiss. Briallen's heart was in her mouth, but she took a deep breath.

"Ilya."

The name cut across the room, dragging silence in its wake, and all eyes turned to her. Ilya stared at her, eyes blazing, surprise written across his face, even as he moved forward.

"Bri…"

She unsheathed her wand, aiming it unerringly towards his chest, immediately having several aimed at her in return. He paused, a hurt look on his face, and she was almost tempted to set it down. However, years of paranoia and suspicions stalled her hand.

"Why was I so nervous before the 2nd Task?" she asked, voice hard. Ilya looked confused, before his face cleared, sadness and anger in his eyes.

"Because you didn't know how to swim, and we were relying completely on Gillyweed to get you through the task."

Briallen lowered her wand, searching for something to say. She tried to say " _I missed you"_ , but what came out was

"Your English has gotten better."

Ilya cracked a small smile, and moved towards her, pulling her into a hug.

"And you have a new wand."

Briallen smiled into his shoulder, inhaling his scent of turned up soil, broom polish and leather.

"Old one disintegrated against Voldy. This one is Cypress, Thestral hair and basilisk venom, 12 ½ inches, bendy." She pulled back to look at him. "Ilya, I'm so sorry that I didn't write and tell you that I'm alive, and how I blew you off with your offer of help but that was because I didn't want you to die and…" She trailed off as Ilya placed a finger on her lips, shushing her.

"I'll forgive you, just this once." He smiled down at her, eyes flicking down to her lips, before back to her eyes. She nodded slightly, and he bent down, pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

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And if she gave the two-fingered salute to the rest of the team for wolf-whistling, there were no reporters around to catch it.

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 **The Daily Prophet, 23** **rd** **April, 1999**

 _CURE FOR LYCANTHROPY FOUND! WEREWOLVES AND PUBLIC RELIEVED!_

 _._

 _In a stunning turn of events, a cure for people who have contracted the disease Lycanthropy, known as werewolves, has been discovered. Master's Severus Prince, Evan Rosier and Karl Liert submitted the potion for inspection to the Board of Potions for final revision late last week, and the results have been released to the community early this morning._

 _Based on the early and rudimentary form of the Wolfsbane Potion by Damocles Belby, the Lupus Medela Potion will see werewolves retaining their wolf form, but it will be classified under the Animagus registry, and will enable werewolves to work, without the shift being dictated by the lunar calendar._

 _When interviewed, the spokesperson of the trio, Evan Rosier, had this to say._

 _"It's been a long, arduous task that would not have been possible without the efforts of many. Due to the nature of the curse, the werewolves will stiff have to shift once a month, but it will be without pain, and at the drinker's discretion, instead of a forced change. It is our hope that this will improve the lives of many for the better, and help some of the prejudice fade away. We have to remember, that while there are some right bastards out there, most werewolves are fairly decent people, who turn into ravaging monsters once a month."_

 _Rosier's address to the Board of Potion's was rumoured to be "humorous" and "light-hearted but with a degree of seriousness underneath", and according to an inside source, likened the monthly shift that turned werewolves into "ravaging monsters" to his "sister's monthly shift from a lovely woman to a chocolate-obsessed beast"._

 _It was also revealed during this speech that the inspiration for the potion lay behind the struggles of a school mate of Rosier's and Snape's; fellow Master Remus Lupin, who specialized in History of Magic._

 _The first successful test was done on Remus Lupin, who stated that he was "overwhelmed with this gift that they had given him", and was "excited to be able to actually hold a job for the first time in years"._

 _Both associates on the Potion, Master Severus Prince and Master Karl Liert, were unavailable for comment._

 _Gentlemen, we of the Wizarding society, salute you all._

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 **Witch Weekly, June 17** **th** **, 1999**

 _BULGARIAN HEARTTHROB ANNOUCES ENGAGMENT! PROPOSAL AT LATEST GAME SHOCKS FANS!_

 **Lavender Brown**

 _Ladies, Viktor Krum is off the menu!_

 _During his most recent game with Bulgaria against Spain, after a jaw-dropping catch of the elusive golden snitch, Viktor Krum proceed to fly up to the VIP stands, where the family and friends of the team are seated. He then proceeded to open the snitch, presenting a ring and proposing to his girlfriend, Luna Lovegood. Judging by her reaction, and the roar of the crowd, the Quidditch star's date to the Hogwarts Yule Ball accepted._

 _Ladies, I knew Luna Lovegood at school, and she was_ not _what we would call dating material; she was very weird and spoke of creatures that didn't exist often. Now, the whimsical blonde has grown into a real beauty; a witch of both formidable looks and talent, as was revealed at the Battle of Hogwarts, where she fought beside the Girl-Who-Lived, Primrose Potter, and Ginny Weasley._

 _We here at_ _ **Witch Weekly**_ _are very excited of course, and will have all the latest gossip for you all on the new couple._

 _Turn to page 5 to read the full story of Viktor and Luna!_

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Luna read the article, shaking her head, even as Viktor leaned over her shoulder.

"They got her name wrong. _Again."_ She muttered. Viktor shrugged, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Wrackspurts do exist; I've seen evidence." He mumbled into her neck.

Luna rewarded him with a kiss.

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 **Bulgarian Times, August 2** **nd** **, 2000**

 **Personal Notices**

 _KIRIL-POTTER: Penko and Nadia Kiril of Bulgaria are pleased to announce the engagement of their eldest, Ilya Anton to Briallen Lily Potter, of the dearly departed Lord James and Lady Lily Potter of England, on the 31_ _st_ _July, 2000._

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 _Hey, Briallen!_

 _I'm happy to hear about your engagement to Ilya; he'd better treat you right or else…_

 _So, we're back in Privet Drive, and Mum's never been happier. She's planted a few primroses for you, lilies for your mum, roses for Grandmum and some petunias. She said that your firstborn had better be born a girl with a flowery name, to keep with tradition. Dad's better, thanks for asking. It was a bit scary, seeing him in hospital after the heart attack, but he's on the mend, and has been promoted to_ _ **partner**_ _of Grunning's. He's enjoying the paperwork more than the supervising, so it's a good thing, I suppose._

 _Alexa's doing well; she and Raphael are pretty serious, and they're going strong. Piers was arrested for arson, trying to set old Mrs. Figg's house on fire. I'm so glad we had that falling out before we left school; imagine what it would have done to Mum if I'd been caught up in that mess. Coach MacDuff sends his regards, and says to remind you that if they're being creepy, then they are most likely creeps, so don't hold back._

 _As for Uni, well…I haven't told Mum or Dad yet, but I've met someone. Her name's Catherine, or Cat, as she prefers. She reminds me a lot of you, actually; she's got this wonderful, prickly and sarcastic side of her, along with a rather morbid sense of humour. I think Mum would have a fit over her hair alone; it's short and choppy, dyed an electric green. She also does Sport and Leisure, but is focusing on coaching more than the physical side of it. Actually, teaching sounds kinda fun. Maybe I should give it a go…_

 _By the way, the Archaeology Department say thanks for that dictionary on runes and hieroglyphics; it really helped on the recent trip to Egypt. That, and they ran into some guy who was called Bill Weasley, who was on the site. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you? He seemed pretty excited when they showed him your dictionary, and he pulled out his own copy. The girls seemed disappointed that he was married though._

 _Hope this letter finds you in good health, and finds you at all; I'm glad you told Nicholas to wait, otherwise I'm not sure how many postage stamps I would have needed to post his._

 _Love, your cousin,_

 _Dudley._

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 ** _I solemnly swear I'm up to no good._**

 _Dear Whitetip,_

 _Dear god, please come back to England for a visit. Please._

 _Remus and Nymphie are unbearable, and if I come back to find them on the couch with nothing on one more time…_

 _Never forget, that Remus was the one that got away with_ _ **everything**_ _, being the innocent looking guy and all. Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing. As such, I cannot bear the thought of my favourite cousin being debauched in such a way, by my own best friend, no less!_

 _So, the Wizengamot is boring, being a Lord is boring, and life is boring. All the birds have become aware that I'm rich, and picking them up is far less of a challenge than it was back in the day. It's driving me mad! Well, madder, or is it insaner, or more insane? Phesh, Blacks. On the bright side, Umbridge is in my old hotel, getting chummy with the bellboys, after we found several incriminating documents about young werewolf children being hidden away in one of her old houses, forced to handle the shift alone, along with money laundering, and blackmail._

 _Surprisingly, it's the Slytherin's in my years and above, such as Snape, Rosier, Cissa and Lord Greengrass that are furious. Snape has already administered the Potion, after a few tweaks to make it stable for children, and they are now living at Prince Manor, with their other partner, Karl (nice bloke, German, wicked sense of humour), and Rosier babysitting._

 _Narcissa totally blew up at Umbridge, giving everyone a taste of the famous Black Temper thought only to be possessed by my mother, and thoroughly entertaining and scaring the living daylights out of the entire Wizengamot. She, of course, occupies the Malfoy seat as Proxy (turns out I inherit both Malfoy and Lestrange by some weird marriage law thing. Don't ask), while Draco is being trained for the Lestrange seat._

 _Love you, and write soon!_

 _Padfoot._

 ** _Mischief Managed._**

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 ** _Daily Prophet, November 10_** ** _th_** ** _, 2001_**

 _GIRL-WHO-WON GAINS TRIPLE MASTERY! RECORD TIE!_

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 _Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems as if our very own heroine has attempted a record, and completed it at exactly the same time as the previous owner!_

 _Briallen Potter, who left England to travel after defeating Voldemort, appeared in the_ _ **Mastery Monthly**_ _, as one of the seven people who have gained a triple Mastery. Lady Potter has been awarded Masteries for Dark Arts and Defence Against, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy after smashing the record scores for the Mastery testing, and testing well above the average for the majority of her tests._

 _Her fellow colleagues- Su Li and Blaise Zabini, also sat the tests, both gaining a Mastery in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy respectively._

 _Ms. Potter is currently tied for the record as the youngest person to gain a Triple Mastery, at 21 years of age, along with the top Potion's researcher, Severus Prince (Potion's, DADA and Spellcrafting). Both were exactly 21 years, 3 months and 7 days old at the time of the conformation of the Mastery, although both agreed that it was pointless to figure out who was the youngest based on minutes and second. Such achievements are rare, and we congratulate the Girl-Who-Lived on her success._

 _When asked on what she was working on, Master Potter merely shook her head, her finger to her lips._

 _"That would be telling now, wouldn't it?"_

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 ** _Daily Prophet, November 28_** ** _th_** ** _, 2001_**

 _VIKTOR KRUM MARRIES LUNA LOVEGOOD IN SPECTACULAR CEREMONY!_

 ** _Penelope Clearwater_**

 _At last, the long awaited day has come; the marriage off Bulgarian Heartthrob Viktor Krum to his dearly beloved, Luna Lovegood. This reporter was lucky enough to have been invited as a guest on the bride's side, and let me tell you, it was a damn good thing that I was._

 _All media were banned from the event, and although I was invited as a guest, Luna Lovegood very kindly stated to both I and Lavender Brown (a reporter at_ _ **Witch Weekly**_ _) were able to write about this, permitted that they avoid the best man's and maid of Honour's speeches. Pictures were taken of a classmate of Luna's; Colin Creevey, who was a Gryffindor and now runs his own photography business, and his younger brother Dennis (co-founder of_ _ **CREEVEY PHOTOGRAPHY!**_ _)._

 _Guests on the groom's side consisted of the entire Bulgarian Quidditch team, and his teammates from the Vratsa Vultures, who finished top of the table in their season, complete with their significant others, while on the bride's side it was mostly people from Hogwarts, such as the Weasley Twins (_ _ **Weasley's Wizard Wheezes)**_ _, Charlie, Bill and Fleur Weasley (along with their first born, Victoria), Su Li, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, myself, Morag McDougal, Neville Longbottom, Cedric Diggory and Susan Bones._

 _It was a rather small wedding for an International star, but, to each their own._

 _The music started, and the bridesmaids; Ivet Krum (Viktor's sister) and Ginny Weasley walked down the aisle, looking stunning in pale gold, before everyone stood as the bride entered. Forgoing the traditional white, Luna was dressed in a delicate eggshell blue, with her hair loose and flowing. She was followed by Maid of Honour, Briallen Potter, who is rumoured to be engaged._

 _Luna's father, Xenophilius Lovegood, gave her away, glaring at the groom and threatening him quietly, and the presiding priest, Father Orlov, sealed the marriage. There was not a dry eye among the assembly when the two passionately kissed, and the best man, Ilya Kiril, had to tap the couple on the shoulder to remind them that they were in public, much to the laughter of the guests._

 _The heartfelt speeches by Briallen Potter and Ilya Kiril tugged at the hearts of many; Briallen Potter's brutal honesty of how Luna was her first friend, and how she saved her from going to a darker place, and Ilya's light-hearted and humorous stories from Viktor's schooling days. Most noticeably, the first time Viktor fell off his broom during a game, because he was distracted by the Bulgarian team mascots. The bride's father spoke of Luna's fist discovery; the Wrackspurts, with a fond smile, and the groom's mother told a rather embarrassing tale of Viktor stealing his father's broom to practise flying, only to crash and break it._

 _It was, in fact, through Briallen that Viktor and Luna met, as dates for the Tri-izard ball. We here at the_ _ **Daily Prophet**_ _wish the newly-weds all the best for the future, especially Viktor Krum with his upcoming game against Ukraine._

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 ** _Daily Prophet, 18_** ** _th_** ** _July, 2001_**

 ** _Births, Deaths and Marriages._**

 **Marriage.**

 _Briallen Lily Potter and Ilya Anton Kiril were married on the 16_ _th_ _of July, 2002, at the Church in Godric's Hollow, England. Pastor Richard Swallow, who bound James and Lily Potter, officiated the wedding. The bride is the daughter of Lily Evans of York, England, and James Potter of Snowdonia, Wales. The bridegroom is the son of Nadia Lewinski of Varna, Bulgaria, and Penko Kiril of Vratsa, Bulgaria._

 _The bride walked unaccompanied down the aisle, in memory of her late father, James Potter, who died protecting her on Halloween, 1980. Her Matron of honour was Luna Krum, and her bridesmaids were Ivet Krum, Su Li and Ginny Weasley. She wore her mother's wedding dress, her grandmother's silver necklace, and a pair of dark blue heels, lent to her by her Aunt, Petunia Dursley. She carried a bouquet of white myrtle flowers._

 _The guest list was compromised of close friends and family. There were seats left on the bride's side, with the names_ Charles and Dorea Potter, James and Lily Potter, Myrtle, Tom Riddle _and_ George and Rose Evans _, in memory of the family that couldn't make it._

 _The reception was held at the Kiril's home in Bulgaria, before the couple left for their honeymoon; a motorbike trip around the United Kingdom, before travelling to Europe to continue the tour._

 _The bride is a graduate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she graduated top of the majority of her classes, before studying under Master Schettino and Master Delaine in order to gain her triple Mastery in Dark Arts and Defence Against, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. She is currently researching a joint project on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy._

 _The bridegroom is a graduate of Durmstrang, and was Head Boy in his final year, before joining the Vratsa Vultures after leaving, making his debut onto the Bulgarian International Team in 2000, as well as pursing a Mastery in Ancient Runes and Ancient Rituals._

 _We wish them all the best in their future._

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 **St. Nadia's Hospital, Maternity Ward 07, 25** **th** **October, 2002**

Viktor was pacing.

He had been pacing for about three hours already, and his hair was dishevelled after he'd run his hands through it multiple times. He was dressed casually, and was without robes, as it was 11pm. Briallen was leaning against Ilya, fighting to keep her eyes open, even as Ilya yawned. She was quite sure that no one had noticed that she was wearing Ilya's shirt and a pair of his jeans held up with a scarf, and that he'd pinched her Slytherin hoodie, due to the fact that Luna was currently trying to expel Viktor's progeny in the next room.

"Bree…" Ilya mumbled into her hair. Briallen snuggled closer, and hummed in response.

"Ten Sickles that it comes out flying, and the nurse will catch it like a Quaffle."

Briallen snorted, and hurriedly masked it into a cough.

"Quidditch runs deep in the family, but not that deep. If anything, it will come out with an army of Nargles that it will use to take over the world before it turns seven. Now, take pity on your friend and go calm him down slightly. He's a mess, and he has a game in about six hours."

Ilya sighed, and stood up, leaving Briallen saddened at the loss of warmth (and comfy shoulder to lean on, because the wall wasn't at all comfortable), and approached his friend, murmuring something too low for Briallen to hear. As soon as he had, Viktor stopped pacing, and turned to him, relaxing a tiny bit, until a low moan dragged out from under the door.

Viktor resumed pacing.

Ilya turned to her and shrugged, gesturing at Viktor helplessly. Briallen rolled her eyes, and moved towards Viktor, when Luna gave a shriek, which was echoed by a wail that sliced through the air. Everyone froze, before a nurse poked her head out of the door, and beckoned to Viktor.

"She'll let you in now, dearie." She disappeared, and Viktor went from looking shocked to looking apprehensive. Briallen sighed, and pushed him into the room.

"Your child and wife await, Vicky. Get moving. You have a game in six…five hours, so make the most of your time."

Viktor left, and Ilya wrapped his arms around Briallen from behind.

"We should probably tell his parents, and Xeno."

Briallen nodded, but didn't move. Ilya squeezed her, trying to get her attention, and she startled.

"Sorry, what?"

Grinning, Ilya repeated what he'd said, and Briallen nodded, gaze faraway.

"Give them some time together first, before Xeno descends from above to gift his grandchild with an army of Crumpled Horn Snorkacks."

Ilya laughed, and leaned against the wall, right before nurse came back in, and gestured for them to come in. Briallen followed, dragging an incredibly reluctant Ilya along with her, and entered the maternity ward, spotting Luna with her hair tied up for once, and her wand on the table beside her. And in her arms, a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. There was a long silence, before Briallen broke the scene.

"Congratulations! It's a girl!"

Ilya snorted, and Viktor cracked a grin, and Luna laughed, before wincing awkwardly. Briallen smiled at them, and then sat down at the edge of Luna's bed.

"Name?"

Luna and Viktor shared a tender look, before Luna uttered the name.

"Myrtle. Myrtle Briallen Krum. Your goddaughter."

Briallen froze, and stared at Luna, shocked, while Luna gave her a serene smile, and gestured for Briallen to take the child. Briallen did so, cradling Myrtle like glass, and smiling down at the baby blue eyes.

"Welcome to the world,' she whispered, ignoring the stupid look on Ilya's face, 'Myrtle Briallen Krum. My goddaughter."

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While Briallen was otherwise occupied, Luna beckoned to Ilya, and gave him one of her Mona Lisa smiles.

"Don't worry. You'll have one of your own in about 8 months."

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Ilya's grin widened.

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 **Primrose Cottage, Bulgaria, 3** **rd** **January, 2003**

 _Dear Briallen Potter,_

 _My name is Gwenyth Stonehelm, and I'm a 1_ _st_ _year Slytherin at Hogwarts. Myrtle said that I should write to you, because you would know exactly how I am feeling right now. I'm a half-blood in Slytherin, and they are always picking on me, because I don't know what some of the stuff they go on about is, because I'm muggle raised. I live with my Muggle Uncle, who beats me at home, because he hates magic, and thinks that it's 'freakish', and he always gives me these funny looks when I'm home, and it doesn't make me feel safe._

 _The Potion's teacher, and Head of Slytherin, doesn't really like me, and always picks on me in class, while the Transfiguration Professor and the Astronomy Professor fail my school work every time, for no apparent reason. And the headmaster keeps sending me these pitying glances, but at the same time he looks calculating._

 _Myrtle said that you had similar troubles when you were at school, so I was wondering, if it wasn't too much trouble, if you could give me some tips in dealing with all the stuff that's happening?_

 _I'm sorry for bothering you,_

 _Gwen Stonehelm._

 _P.S. Myrtle says hi, and that her offer of you sharing her toilet when you die still stands._

 _._

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Briallen read the letter that Hedwig had just delivered, and gritted her teeth, his fist clenching in anger. Ilya, from his spot on the floor where he was doing his exercises (sprained leg after the match between Italy), looked up in concern, his eyes flicking towards her protruding stomach, and then up at her face.

"What?"

In reply, Briallen thrust the letter at him, and sat down on the couch, rubbing her swollen stomach absentmindedly as her mind whirled around with possibilities on how to deal with this. Ilya growled when he'd finished, muttering a few unsavoury things under his breath at the girls uncle and the teachers at Hogwarts, before moving to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What do you want to do?"

Briallen stiffened as her abdomen contracted heavily, and then sighed.

"I want to go to the hospital. It seems your offspring has decided to come sooner, rather than later."

Ilya swore, and started panicking, before Briallen grabbed his shoulder, and turned him to face her.

"Calm down. My bag from upstairs, and a book for yourself."

Ilya started up the stairs, and then paused.

"Won't I be with you?"  
Briallen gave him a smirk, which quickly turned into a wince.

"You'll need your hand for next week's game. Can you grab me a stress ball?"

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 ** _Births._**

 _Ilya and Briallen Kiril are happy to announce the birth of their first children, James Ilya and Hazel Lily Kiril, who were born on the 4_ _th_ _January, 2003, both at 5 pounds, 10 ounces. They are the grandchildren of Penko and Nadia Kiril, and the dearly departed James and Lily Potter._

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 _GIRL-WHO-LIVED-AND-WON RETURNS! SAVES WITCH FROM ABUSIVE FAMILY!_

 ** _Penelope Clearwater_**

 _After four years absence from the Wizarding World, Briallen Potter has returned, this time to answer a desperate letter from a student at Hogwarts._

 _The student, 1_ _st_ _year Slytherin Gwenyth Stonehelm, is the only surviving heiress of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Stonehelm, whose parents were killed by You-Know-Who in the latest war. Upon being sorted into Slytherin, she was immediately deemed_ persona non grata _, and was excluded from all groups, because she was a half-blood who'd been Muggle-raised._

 _Sound familiar?_

 _That, ladies and gentlemen, is the very same thing that happened to our own heroine, after her Sorting._

 _The young girl, who had been living with her mother's brother, had written to Ms. Potter, at the behest of one of the castle ghosts, Moaning Myrtle, who had befriended our heroine during her own school years, along with Luna Krum, nee Lovegood. Inspection of the letter showed that she didn't feel safe with her uncle and that Ms. Stonehelm stated that her uncle_ "beats me at home, because he hates magic, and thinks that its 'freakish', and he always gives me these funny looks when I'm home, and it doesn't make me feel safe _". The young witch stated in an interview that she'd asked the Headmaster if she could stay at Hogwarts over the summer, because she didn't want to return home, and that the Headmaster dismissed her concerns. This makes us all wonder, "are our children really safe?"_

 _Cue one letter to Ms. Potter, and an international portkey from our heroine four months after the letter was sent to come to the rescue. Many were left wondering about the delay, until all became clear. In the four months of delay, Ms. Potter had managed to get all the necessary paperwork needed for the removal of Ms. Stonehelm from her abusive guardian, as well as a few options of residence for Ms. Stonehelm. It was said that Ms. Potter, upon dealing with the muggle uncle, offered Ms. Stonehelm a choice; become a ward of the Ministry, or become her ward._

 _Needless, to say, the decision was easy, and not in favour of the Ministry. More paperwork appeared; a school application form for Durmstrang, a withdrawal slip from Hogwarts, Proxy rights (until Ms. Stonehelm reaches majority), passport, guardianship papers, and a financial statement from the Goblins to show the Ministry that Ms. Potter did indeed have the necessary funds to take care of the girl._

 _We here at the_ _ **Daily Prophet**_ _wish Ms. Stonehelm all the best with her new guardian, and we hope to see more news of the duo soon._

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 ** _1_** ** _st_** ** _September, 2014, Durmstrang Institute drop-off._**

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"Now, you have everything you need, because although I live there, I'm not going to be picking up after you both, understand?"

Hazel Lily Kiril, with her blood-red hair and dark blue eyes, sighed, and hit her older twin over the head with her hand, messing up his normally immaculate black hair and causing his green eyes to flash in annoyance.

"Pay attention, idiot. Mum's getting emotional for the first time in public."

"I want to go!" piped up Hazel's younger sister, Violeta Luna, dark blue eyes petulant, tugging at the hand of the youngest child, Aleksandar Celyn.

Their mother, Briallen Kiril nee Potter, with her masses of dark curls (which Hazel had missed out on, but Violeta and Aleksandar managed to inherit), and her emerald green gaze, knelt down next to Hazel, and fixed her collar.

"You'll go in about three years, Violeta, so be patient. Now, Hazel, try to stay out of trouble as much as possible, and make sure that James gets out of the library to eat and get some sun, and I'll see you every Sunday evening for dinner. Okay?"

Hazel smiled at her mother, noticing the turmoil in her eyes. On one hand, she'd be saying goodbye to her children as they left, yet she'd not be able to interfere, or see them outside of class time except on weekends, so as to stick with the rules on student-teacher fraternization. Hazel's smile widened as she spotted her father walking towards them, dodging through the crowds with ease. He caught up to them, and dropped a kiss on her head, still in his International Quidditch robes.

"Make sure to have fun, and to study hard." He ruffled James' hair, who spun around with a curse on his lips, only to smile innocently at his father.

"I'll make sure that Hazel doesn't get expelled on her first day, father, don't worry."

 _"If I do, it'll be for fratricide!_ " Hazel hissed, making James rolled his eyes.

"No need for Parseltongue, dearest sister. It was only a joke."

Hazel glared at him, but hugged her parent's goodbye, and gave Violeta a kiss on the cheek,

 _"I'll send you a piece of stone for your collection, little sister_ ", and ruffled Aleksandar's auburn curls, grinning at his gap-toothed smile.

 _"I'll prank some people, just for you."_ She hissed to him softly, mindful of her mother's stern gaze. Aleksandar smiled angelically, and tilted his head, his green eyes filled with mischief.

"Go for pink. It's overly obnoxious." Hazel raised an eyebrow, and shot her mother a quick look, seeing her disapproval written on her face.

"There will be no pranks, young lady. If I catch you…"

"Look! There's Myrtle and Anton! Bye Mother!" Hazel spotted her escape, and seized it, giving her parents another quick hug, before racing off to the boats before her mother could retaliate. She felt James say his goodbyes, before he caught up with her.

"Mum's going to be watching us extra carefully from now on, Hazel."

Hazel smirked at her brother.

"I know, twin of mine. Which is why, we won't get caught."

James gave her an evil grin, completely at odds with the goody-two-shoes persona that he often adopted.

"I can hardly wait."

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 ** _Mischief Managed._**

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"Do you swear to uphold the Masters Code to the best of your ability?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to help other less fortunate then yourself whenever possible?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to protect our way of life, and teach your Apprentices the Code, and pass on your knowledge without reservations?"

"I swear."

"Then pledge yourself into the Fold."

"I, Gwenyth Bronwyn Stonehelm, hereby pledge myself to the Code of Masters; to honour and respect my fellow Masters; to cherish the Apprentices; to preserve and teach all knowledge; to be generous in my discoveries; to protect the rituals and customs of the Masters; to help those less fortunate than myself; to live a life that sets an example to others. If I break this pledge, then I will acknowledge that it is my own short-comings, and I will consent to have my Mastery stripped, until I show that I am capable of following the Code once more. This I swear on my life and Magic, so mote be it."

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A flash of gold, and a plume of smoke, with the paint drawn on her forehead, and onto her left shoulder blade burning, and a dizzying feeling that felt as if she'd done too many spins on her broom, signified that she'd done something right.

"Then rise, Gwenyth Bronwyn Stonehelm, Master of Ancient Runes and Dark Arts and Defence Against. Share your knowledge, honour your fellow Masters, cherish your Apprentices and stay true to your pledge. Rise, and be seated at the Council."

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Gwenyth Stonehelm, 22 years old with a Double Mastery under her belt, rose unsteadily as an overwhelming emotion flooded her, and she wiped at her eyes, sending the tears from her face. She turned to face the auditorium, all the Masters and Apprentices standing as they applauded her success. She spotted her Uncle's Severus, Evan and Karl near the back, due to the nature of their age and the number of Masteries, and Uncle Remus a few rows down, his hair completely grey. Uncle Ilya was in the middle rows, and she spotted Aunt Briallen right up the back, above Uncle Severus.

She moved her feet, in a daze, and spotted her research partners; Jessamine Rosier and Tora Ulfhrafn cheering, the seat next to them empty, with her name on it, magically inscribed into the wood in silver. She stood next to her seat, tears pouring down her face and splashing onto her black robes, and her thoughts fled to her old Housemates at Hogwarts, who used to make her life a misery.

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' _Eat_ that _, you pure-blooded, egotistical bigots!'_

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Gwenyth Stonehelm went on to become one of the best Hit Wizards, with a total of six Dark Lords in her name, along with the discovery of many ancient artefacts with her partners, Jessamine and Tora. She took over her seat in the Wizengamot, but left within three years, stating that she was " _disgusted by the amount of racism and stupidity that is rife among you all. I know seven year olds who are better behaved than you."_

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James Ilya followed in his father's footsteps, playing International Quidditch for Bulgaria as a Chaser, co-captaining the team along with his sister, Violeta. His extreme stunts and flair for the dramatics simultaneously shocked and wowed audiences all over the world. He was eventually suspended from Quidditch after attacking the English player that nearly killed his sister. The English Ministry tried to charge him for dangerous flying, but they were overruled, due to the fact that their player had been the one to instigate.

Hazel Lily, after becoming Head Girl, gained a Double Mastery at 20, in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. She went on to become a top spell-crafter, and researching the very fundamentals of Magic. Her wand was destroyed during a firefight by one of the many anti-pureblood groups during a holiday in England, but went on to master wandless and wordless magic, traveling the Duelling circuit and becoming champion 3 times, before retiring from the circuit and traveling the world, learning obscure magic.

Violeta Luna became the first woman in the world to play International Quidditch, leading Bulgaria to victory ten times before her retirement after a near fatal injury in the finals against England, when an English Chaser knocked her from her broom, and she fell from a height of 60 ft. It was, however, the last game she won, after she'd managed to catch the Golden Snitch while falling from her broom. She became the Flying Instructor at Durmstrang.

Aleksandar Celyn became a world-recognized Healer, and demonstrated the effective use of Parseltongue in Healing, giving Parseltongue the first positive name since Ancient Greece. He saved many lives, and eventually managed to heal extreme nerve damage caused by over-exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. He became Head Healer at St. Nadia's when he was 30.

Minerva McGonagall, after resigning at Hogwarts, retired to her small cottage in the Scottish Highlands, spending the rest of her life teaching Transfiguration to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Aurora Sinistra and Septima Vector returned to Vector's hone country of France, both taking up teaching roles at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Both were mortally wounded while protecting their students from a chimera attack 20 years later, which took the lives of only one other teacher, who was able to fire the killing shot while Aurora and Septima distracted it. All three teachers were awarded posthumous medals for bravery, and a small monument was built on the school grounds to honour them.

Theodore Nott became an Unspeakable, and later the whole department left England, taking their research with them, when the government outlawed certain practises. They relocated to Norway, where they collaborated with the Norse Unspeakable Department in their research endeavours.

Blaise Zabini returned with his mother to Italy, where he became deeply embedded in the Magical Historical Archives, along with his wife, Su Li. Both became renowned historians, and many of their co-workers found it odd that they complained about their old History of Magic teacher, Professor Binns. It wasn't until they explained exactly _who_ Professor Binns was that the fellow historians got the joke.

Daphne Greengrass stayed single, and helped with the founding of the Wizarding Child Services, working alongside Narcissa Malfoy and Evan Rosier. Daphne, after the death of her father, housed over 100 orphaned wizarding and magical children in Greengrass Manor, as well as helping the less fortunate in the lesser alleys, especially Knockturn. Taking her family seat in the Wizengamot, she challenged many laws, and promoted equality for all, including rights for Goblins, which enabled them to purchase goods in the alleys, and trade between both nations.

She was a valued customer at Gringotts, until her death, in which she was given the highest Goblin honour ever awarded to a human.

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Briallen and Ilya Kiril lived a quiet life; Briallen teaching Ancient Runes at Durmstrang, while Ilya, after his retirement from professional Quidditch, taught Ancient Rituals, also at Durmstrang, while residing in Primrose Cottage, deep in the mountains. Both passed away peacefully in their sleep on the 4th of November, 21 at the age of 142, after a long life filled with discoveries and excitement.

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The English Ministry never caught on that Briallen had children.

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It was white, and really boring.

Briallen held Ilya's hand tighter, venturing forward into the fog, steps slow and careful. She didn't have her wand, but her power was gathered in her free hand, barely shedding any light. She couldn't remember how she got here, all she remembered was falling asleep next to Ilya, as usual, and then waking up here.

She sensed that Ilya had tried a Fog-Dispersing spell, and the fog lifted slightly, before coming back down. Briallen hissed.

"I can't see a bloody thing."

"You and me both." Ilya muttered from behind her. Briallen stopped, and Ilya walked into her. She slowly turned to face him, but could see nothing but his hand.

"Ilya…" she trailed off, mind still whirling, 'your voice. It's young."

There was a tense silence, before he replied, his voice no longer as throaty and laboured as it had been in the last few years of their life together.

"So is yours."

Briallen closed her eyes, as the full implications hit.

"We died. In our sleep. At 142." She gritted out. "I still had that potion in the lab on the fire."

Ilya laughed, the sound no longer croaky and hoarse, but young and bright, and Briallen relished the sound, a smile tilting her own lips. As if the fog was repulsed by the sound of cheerfulness, it rolled away, revealing…

"Durmstrang drop-off." Ilya whispered, his fingers tracing the runes carved into the great wooden and metal structure. Briallen's heart contracted, as she remembered the last time she'd been there; to see her great-grandchildren off to Durmstrang. She looked across the water, to see the silhouette of the imposing castle in the distance, lights flickering on in the windows; tiny pinpricks of light. Ilya stepped forward, going down the well-worn wooden steps, and dragging Briallen along with him.

"Come on, Bree. The boats are amazing."

Ilya stepped out onto the water, and immediately a boat surfaced underneath his feet, causing him to wobble slightly, before he balanced expertly against the rocking of the boat. Briallen followed him, using him as a sort of leaning post as she settled. Ilya took a seat, and the boat took off at a fast speed, causing Briallen to shriek in excitement.

"FUN!"

Ilya laughed again, eyes shining, and met her gaze, giving her a look filled with love.

"This is what you missed out on when you went to Hogwarts."

"Shut up, Ilya!" Briallen retorted, eyes swimming with mirth.

Finally, they reached the heavy wood and brass doors, covered in mythical creatures, and Ilya pushed them open, the well-oiled hinges causing them to fall back silently.

Four people stood there, far younger than they had been last Ilya and Briallen saw them.

Ginny, with her fiery red hair, no streaks of grey visible anymore, and Luna, her face pale and smooth, and her eyes clear once more. Ivet, no longer thin and sickly, but willowy and slender, and Viktor, shoulders as broad and his nose not as broken as it once was. There was silence, before Ginny and Luna rushed forward, talking a million miles an hour, ad swamping her in blonde curls and red strands.

There was a cough, and Briallen broke away, even as Ginny and Luna fell silent. There, now standing in the doorway, were two people she'd only ever seen in photographs.

"Mother, 'she whispered, voice filled with a kind of desperate longing, 'Father."

James Potter, standing tall and firm, met her eyes.

"Daughter." He acknowledged…before her moved forward, sweeping her into a tight hug, tears trickling down both of their faces. Briallen felt her mother's arms go around her, and she sighed, resting her head against her father's chest.

She was Home.

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 _Home._

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 **Extra.**

"But Briallen,' James practically whined, 'marrying a Durmstrang? Fraternizing with the enemy?"

Lily face-palmed, and Briallen raised an eyebrow, before she grabbed Ilya's hand, and pulled him into a passionate kiss, making sure there was tongue involved. Ilya smiled against her lips, catching on to what she was doing, his hands drifting lower

There was a very unmanly squeak, and a slap that echoed through the foyer.

"Honestly James, get a hold of yourself. And Briallen dear, I approve. I approve very much."

"I should hope so,' Briallen broke off breathlessly, 'have you met your grandchildren yet? James, Violeta, Hazel and Aleksandar should be around here somewhere."

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There was a thump as James Potter fell to the floor in a dead faint.

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 **Fin.**


End file.
